


Taking the High Road

by Wix



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Light Tony/Pepper, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Rebuilding, Sokovia Accords, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, new avengers team, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-13 01:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21486391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wix/pseuds/Wix
Summary: It's time to move on and to try something new.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Avengers Team
Comments: 193
Kudos: 3330
Collections: Best Team Iron Man, EGFixIts, Tony Stark Defense Squad I, superhero tingz





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was feeling a little motivated and this came out. Enjoy!
> 
> Pt. 1 ( Or Chapter 1 I guess ) is Steve's POV. Pt. 2 will end on Tony's.

He’s not talking to them.

He hasn’t taken the time since he returned to the Compound where the rest of his team were already waiting for him. It hadn’t been all that long since Siberia, barely even two weeks since T’Challa managed to bulldoze their return to their home. T’Challa had informed him that Tony had been amenable to their return and Steve had seen that as a good sign. If Tony had cut all ties with them then wouldn’t the first place that he started be the Compound itself?

However, when they’d arrived there’d been no sight of the brunet billionaire. It looked like no one had really been there since Clint had arrived to rescue Wanda. In fact, even the giant crater that Wanda had described throwing the Vision down into when he attacked them was still there. Natasha said that it was possible that Tony just hadn’t gotten a chance to get around to fixing it while Clint said that it was Tony throwing a temper tantrum and trying to get attention at best or at worst it was him trying to make Wanda feel bad for having to break out of the Compound when he hadn’t wanted her to.

There was of course no forthcoming answer though, because Tony remained absent from the hallways much to Steve’s frustration and Wanda’s delight. There was a moment when Steve had heard that Tony was returning to the Compound from T’Challa who had passed on the message from the Council meeting that he’d been apart of wherein the Iron Man pilot had mentioned his plan to return to the Compound after the meeting’s conclusion and Steve moved about the kitchen like a man with a mission. He’d prepared a meal, since he knew firsthand that people tended to respond better when food was nearby, and he’d dragged everyone together into the unfixed kitchen in preparation for the team meeting that was well overdue…but Tony had never showed.

Or, more accurately, he had shown up; he just hadn’t shown himself to them. He’d bypassed the front door, choosing instead to fly down to the labs like a teenager sneaking past their parents after curfew.

Steve had figured that he’d allow it just once when it had happened. He’d been disappointed, sure; but he hadn’t pushed it. If Tony felt the need for a little more space without having to drag everything back out into the open then Steve would grant it. It seemed like the least that Steve could do after everything that went down…but soon enough he finds himself wishing that he had pushed. As the days of the next week go by and with no new sightings of the wayward brunet, Steve finds himself worrying more and more about what Tony is doing down there. After all, they all know that Tony really shouldn’t be down in his labs, unsupervised when he’s clearly still smarting from the arguments that landed them all in this place. Not to mention, Steve as a feeling that the whole group returning home after less than a week abroad in Wakanda has to have irritated the billionaire. It’s nice to have friends in high places, a lesson that Steve’s learned many times before this, and T’Challa is a powerful friend to add to that list…especially since there’s a void where Tony used to be since Steve figures that until the other man cools down a bit and has a chance to look at everything logically that he’s not going to help them anytime soon.

When Steve brings up his concerns to the group though about how Tony’s still avoiding them, the reactions he gets are expected but unhelpful. Clint calls it childish while Nat says it will pass. Wanda questioned why anyone was even asking her why she cared about Tony Stark when she clearly couldn’t care less and Sam told Steve that barging in on Tony before he was ready had the potential to cause more harm than good. None of those answers are what Steve needs to hear though, and none of them come up with any sort of plan for getting Tony to come out and face them.

He lets it go for a day or two, going down to the lab doors and bringing sandwiches and various snacks with him, knocking on the door only to be told by FRIDAY each time that he ‘doesn’t have access’ and that ‘Mr. Stark is currently unavailable’ whenever he tries. He leaves the food and each time he returns with more he hopes to see the trays moved or the food gone, but each time everything is left the exact way that he put it there and his shoulders slump. Is FRIDAY even telling Tony that Steve’s here? Or that Steve’s left him anything? Is it possible that the other man doesn’t even know? That this action that the others are taking as an outward sign of aggression is in fact innocent because Tony doesn’t actually know that Steve’s been trying to make amends?

“Leave him alone.” Wanda tells him as she stirs something on the stove. “If he wants to lock himself up down there and rot, I say let him.”

“We need to fix what happened Wanda.” Steve replies to her with a sigh. “We can’t allow a rift like this to continue.”

“If Stark wants to be a child, let him be one.” She informs him before changing the subject and refusing to spend a moment longer talking about their missing member. It’s always been like this between Tony and Wanda. Steve had hoped once upon a time that there would be a comradery that would grow between the two brunets, but it never happened. Tony had refused to apologize for something he ‘didn’t do’, not even for the sake of team cohesion and Wanda had retaliated by refusing to apologize for any ‘accidental’ slip up of her powers that tended to target Tony in some way. Shortly after that, Wanda’s relationship with Vision seemed to be the final straw that solidified their continued hatred of each other after Tony recommended to Vision that dating anyone – especially Wanda – at his ‘young age’ was something that Tony felt he should hold off on.

It had been like a red flag to the rest of the team though. Tony standing in the way of love because of his belief that he owned Vision and his hatred of Wanda. They had all rallied behind Wanda, approving of the internal romance since it was rather adorable to watch progress and Tony had eventually given up when Vision himself had asked Tony to stay out of it. Wanda had always taken that situation as proof of her victory over Tony and her relationship with the Vision had prospered ever since while Tony’s and Vision’s had faltered.

Said android who has returned to the Compound with them and who has already forgiven and forgotten, rekindling his relationship with Wanda even as Steve notices he avoids the hole in the kitchen. Steve asks T’Challa if it’s possible to get it fixed but the king informs him that the Compound is a Stark Property and therefore, he can make no changes or alterations to it without the owner’s consent. Said owner who has refused to answer any of his calls or interact with him, which is news to Steve because he didn’t know that Tony and T’Challa were having a fight as well.

“He doesn’t like knowing how easily we can replace him.” Clint offers up as the reason when Steve tells the rest of them that night over dinner and Steve sighs as he sees the Vision glance down in the direction of the labs. Tony of course, makes no appearance.

The final straw eventually comes, when Steve finally convinces Vision to just go down to the labs and make sure that Tony is alright and that he knows that they’ve wanted to talk to him since Steve’s not sure that FRIDAY is passing on the messages. Vision agrees and attempts to go down there, before he returns to them and informs them that he had no ability to phase through the walls, a new security feature that Tony must have installed at some point, and that FRIDAY had also taken away Vision’s clearance to enter the inner sanctum of it’s creator as well. _That_ finally got everyone worried about the whole thing, almost as much as Steve had been leading up to it.

“We need to go down there and figure out what he’s doing.” Clint says, crossing his arms. “If he’s locking Vision out? Then you know it’s bad.”

“I agree with Clint.” Nat says and Steve feels like pumping a fist in the air. “This has gone on too long now and now Tony’s crossed a line, whether he meant to or not.”

“This is Stark.” Wanda says with a roll of her eyes. “He meant to.”

“I don’t know.” Sam says uncertainly. “I still think that it’s a bad idea to try and storm the gates of _Tony Stark’s_ lab. I mean…this is the guy who is the world’s number one weapons designer. Do we really want to test that right now? Give him the chance to say ‘oops, they triggered my defense protocols. My bad’?”

“We could cut the power.” Clint points out and Nat shakes her head.

“No go. Tony’s got a separate ARC system for the labs. I have no doubts that even if the entire city of New York lost power he’d be just fine down there.”

“We’ve got to do something.” Steve says. “For all we know he could be hurt down there.”

“Or, much more likely, doing something he doesn’t want us to know about.” Wanda replies and Steve runs a hand through his hair.

“Let’s try and play this Tony’s way.” Nat says. “Reach out to Ross. See if we can get the Council to weigh in on Tony’s behavior.”

“…yeah, okay.” Steve says with a nod. “I’ll see what Ross has to say.”

+++

What Ross ends up having to say is nothing that Steve wants to hear.

“The Compound is Stark’s property.” Ross points out, twiddling his thumbs. “Not just that, the labs are patented and protected Stark Industries locations. Even if Mr. Stark were behaving in a way that the Avengers or the Council were concerned about, he has every right to do whatever he wishes in those locations. It would take a lot of effort to get a court order, and let me be clear no judge will give one, to try and allow some kind of search of Mr. Stark’s work lab.”

“But what if he’s-”

“It’ll never happen. Many people have tried to break into his labs using the law and none have succeeded. If Mr. Stark wishes to remain separate from you, then there is nothing that can be done about it. I’m sorry Mr. Rogers.”

“Of course. Sorry to have bothered you Mr. Ross.”

No one is pleased with the information that Steve gives them about his meeting when he comes back. Steve least of all.

+++

Pepper looks annoyed to be seeing him, which surprises Steve a little since she allowed the meeting to take place between the two of them.

“Is there a reason you’ve reached out to me Mr. Rogers?” She asks and there’s something about her tone and mannerism that makes Steve feel like he’s back in the past and in trouble again with one of the nuns.

“I’ve been trying to talk to Tony.” Steve says. “But I can’t seem to catch him.”

“Mr. Stark if you please.” Pepper corrects him. “And Mr. Stark is very busy with several Stark Industries projects as well as a few personal ones.”

“I know that he’s been staying at the Compound.”

“It’s his.” She retorts. “Your point?”

“…how hard is it to let us come down or for him to come up for even just five minutes?”

“Mr. Rogers.” Pepper says and she sounds so calm and yet so disgusted with him. “Mr. Stark is a very busy man. Having a job will do that, not that you seem to understand that concept these days.” Steve goes to argue against her but the look she gives him snaps his jaw shut. “Whatever Mr. Stark is doing and wherever he choses to go is none of your concern nor is it any of your business. You are not his keeper; you are not his business partner and you are not his friend.” She says it all like it’s just the truth and Steve wonders if that’s truly what Tony believes now. That Steve isn’t his friend. Nothing could be further from reality.

“Ms. Potts please. I just want to talk to him, even if just for five minutes.”

“A lot of people want ‘just five minutes’ of his time, Mr. Rogers.” Pepper retorts. “His time is very valuable. If he wishes to speak with you then trust me, he will do so. Other than that, I see no reason why you’re here. I’m not Mr. Stark’s secretary anymore. If you want a meeting, schedule one with FRIDAY.”

“FRIDAY won’t schedule one.”

“Then take that as the clear answer that it is.” Pepper says. “And have a good day. Some of us have work to do.”

+++

The next time it becomes a major issue isn’t even two days later when an attack happens in Central Park. Steve and the rest of the Avengers assemble, but Iron Man stays mysteriously absent. No matter how many times Steve tried to tell FRIDAY to pass on the message that Iron Man was needed, the computer program just continued to relay the message that ‘Mr. Stark is currently unavailable’.

“This is a problem Mr. Ross.” Steve says at the emergency meeting with the Council after they finish Avenging and return to the Compound. “Tony refused to arrive and do his part as the Iron Man pilot.”

“He told you this himself?” Ross asks, sounding surprised and Steve shakes his head.

“No, he refuses to allow any communication between us. Opting instead to force us to use FRIDAY who will not pass on any messages.” Steve says and T’Challa steeples his fingers.

“Captain Rogers has a point. This was an approved Avengers outing. Mr. Stark should have been present unless there were extenuating circumstances that prevented it.” T’Challa glances around. “He should also be present and yet I do not see him here.”

“These meetings aren’t mandatory.” Ross reminds T’Challa. “If Mr. Stark chooses to not be present there is no recourse against that choice.”

“But there should be some kind of recourse against this whole situation.” Natasha points out. “This weakens the Avengers Initiative, which _is_ the purview of this Council.” Ross takes a moment before he decides to attempt to call Tony and see if they might get his comments on the entire thing.

Steve sits forward the moment that the call picks up. What he sees though isn’t the world’s most eligible bachelor, but instead some teenager.

_“Good evening Council members. Avengers.”_ The young man says_. “How may I help you today?”_ Ross gives the young boy a confused look before glancing at all of them and seeing similar ones on each of their faces.

“…we’re calling for Mr. Stark?”

_“Mr. Stark is currently unavailable right now, but you can talk to me. I speak with Mr. Stark’s full authority.”_ The kid says and Clint snorts.

“Sure, whatever you say kid.”

**_‘Mr. Keener has full authorization to speak for Mr. Stark, Mr. Barton.’_** FRIDAY’s voice comes over the call and they all stare at the kid who looks like he’s fighting against giving them a smug look and slightly failing at it.

“We were hoping to speak to Mr. Stark.” T’Challa tries and the kid – Mr. Keener? – shakes his head.

_“As I said before, Mr. Stark is currently unavailable. I can attempt to assist you though.” _

“We were concerned as to a lack of Mr. Stark’s involvement with the Avengers incident earlier.” T’Challa says and the kid nods.

_“I see, the one in Central Park yes?”_ He asks and he gets some nods. _“Well I can answer that for you. According to the threat matrix tentatively determined upon by the Council, a full Avengers response would not have been approved or necessary for the event in the park. As such, Iron Man and War Machine were not tapped as necessary combatants.”_ Keener replies, and his manner makes Steve think of Pepper in that meeting. _“Since the rest of the Avengers team was on site, there was no immediate need for either Mr. Stark’s or Colonel Rhodes’ participation in that battle.” _

“I see.” Ross says slowly, clearly still on unsure footing with the teenager on the screen. “Will we be seeing Mr. Stark in an Avengers situation anytime soon?”

_“If the situation calls for it, then I would say yes. As you well know, Mr. Stark is doing his upmost to remain within the constraints of his agreement with the Council when it comes to any potential ‘vigilante’ situations.” _

“And we thank him for that.” Ross says and Keener nods.

_“Is there anything else you need Council member?” _

“…no…no I think that’s it.”

_“Very well. Have a good day.” _ The kid ends the call and each of them look at each other with confused bafflement. What the actual hell?

+++

“Who is this ‘Mr. Keener’?” Clint asks and Natasha sighs.

“That’s the name of the young boy that Stark met during the Mandarin event.” She says. “I knew that he’d taken him under his wing as a protégé, but I don’t know what any of that was.”

“How old is he?” Steve asks and Natasha shrugs her shoulders.

“Don’t know, I’d guess about fourteen or fifteen.”

“And Stark has him playing mediator for him. What an ass.” Clint snaps. “That kid shouldn’t be having to deal with Stark’s messes.”

“Stark will throw anyone under the bus if he can get away with it.” Wanda says and Steve sighs. He heads back down to the lab’s entrance and knocks on the door. FRIDAY gives him the same answer as he’s gotten since day one and he runs his hand through his hair.

“I just want to speak with him.”

_‘**Mr. Stark is not currently available’ **_FRIDAY says without even the smallest hint of remorse that Steve knows Tony can program his machines with.

“Well when is he going to be available?” Steve asks and there’s a pause.

** _‘Unknown.’_ **

“What if I want to make a meeting with him?”

** _‘Mr. Stark’s schedule is currently booked.’_ **

“When is it open?”

** _‘If you’d like I can make you an appointment at the next available opening.’_ **

“Please.”

** _‘Very well. You’re scheduled in for Thursday the twentieth…. Two years from now. I will be sure to mark it in your calendar as well.’_ **

Steve figures he should have seen that coming.

+++

“Steve! Steve come quick!” Nat’s voice calls out and Steve immediately drops his book and rushes over to where she is.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. The training area has Tony marked down for being in it right now.” She says and Steve gives her a smile as he takes off for the aforementioned area. He gets there and looks through the windows and a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding comes out of him in a big whoosh. From the window, he can see Tony standing down there. It’s the first time he’s laid eyes on the brunet since Siberia and Steve hadn’t even realized how terrified he was at the thought that maybe Tony had been hurt or that there had been complications.

He watches for a few seconds as he sees Tony explaining something to the boy Keener, motioning with his body to show the other how to brace against a hand repulsor blast. A few feet away from them there’s a smaller version of the Iron Man suit. It looks different, silver being its secondary color instead of gold and Steve wonders if Tony truly intends to pass on Iron Man to this child. He’s clearly too young for the responsibility of a suit like that.

Keener seems to be listening to Tony though, moving with him and mimicking his movements long before he climbs into the suit and gives it a try. It’s funny to see Tony fussing over the boy and clearly making suggestions and comments about his form.

Steve tries to enter the training room in order to offer assistance and to just talk to Tony but the doors remain stubbornly locked as FRIDAY alerts him that an active training session doesn’t allow new people to enter the area and that he’ll have to wait his turn.

Steve’s not really sure how he feels about feeling so irritated at a computer program, but he’s more than done with it getting in the way and just being overall difficult.

Steve waits though, he watches as Tony goes through several training sessions with the boy before the two of them suit up and take off into the sky. It’s only at that moment that FRIDAY unlocks the doors and tells him that the training grounds are open for him now. He ends up leaving a crack in the wall from where he hits it in his frustration.

+++

Spider-Man is a strange mix of overexcitement and distain. He seems over the moon at all things related to being a superhero, but whenever one of them attempt to approach him he closes off and makes subtle comments that shows that Tony’s undoubtedly created some kind of rift between them.

The comments of ‘Ok Boomer’ are the single most annoying ones though whenever Steve tries to have a civilized conversation with the boy and teach him how the world really works.

Steve asks him if he has a problem with him at one point and Spider-Man tilts his head.

“Why would I have a problem with someone who lied to their supposed friend about their parents murder for years and then left them to die in a frozen wasteland after beating the shit out of them?” Spider-Man asks with a tone that’s almost pure innocence. “That’s just crazy.”

Steve gives up trying to make friends with the kid shortly after that.

+++

“Apparently, Mr. Stark has made several new suits and has added two new members to his ‘iron team’.” T’Challa tells them and Steve frowns.

“I’m guessing Keener.”

“Yes, he’s in training to take over the Iron Man name someday, but he already has a suit should the need arise.”

“Who is the other?” Natasha asks and T’Challa crosses his arms.

“The ‘Rescue’ model, which is coded to a Ms. Pepper Potts.” He replies.

“Tony gave Pepper a suit?” Steve asks and T’Challa nods.

“So it would seem. This of course comes alongside the remodeled War Machine armor which is now ready for deployment with Colonel Rhodes behind the helm if necessary and an ‘Iron Spider’ suit for Spider-Man should it be needed.”

“Is that what Tony’s been doing this whole time?” Nat asks. “Making new suits?”

“I’ve been recently informed that Mr. Stark has been involved in several government projects, top secret things that I have not been able to gain data on.” T’Challa says. “I’ve also heard that he’s created a synthetic vibranium metal that behaves like the original.”

“Why would he do that?” Steve asks and T’Challa shrugs.

“I’m unsure. Money perhaps? Or perhaps it is a slight against Wakanda. As you know our vibranium is what has kept us on top. Perhaps he’s attempting to take that away from us.”

“That sounds like something Stark would do.” Wanda snaps and Steve wants to put his face in his hands. Why is Tony doing this? And when is he going to stop for even a second and just look around and realize that the people he’s fighting aren’t his enemies?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay! Crazy time of year. :-) Enjoy!
> 
> Oh, and I messed with canon and made Reed, Ben, Rhodey and Tony old school pals.

He wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of how he got there. He’s informed later that FRIDAY sent out the distress call when her connection to the suit was cut and the ‘Handing off the Torch’ protocol was activated prematurely, opening up Harley’s ability to get into the suit that Tony designed for him a few months back and stage a rescue mission. He listens to the doctors rattle off worries and concerns about his body’s needs and his need to take it easy while it all heals – and Tony thanks them before promptly ignoring them and checking himself out.

Pepper and Peter throw an absolute fit over the information and that’s long before Rhodey gets on a video call with Harley and between them all they talk him into several concessions that the doctors would have never managed to pull off. May Parker is a firecracker, even more so now that she knows about Peter and about Tony’s part in omitting important information about her kid to her but eventually, she comes around and aids him when he needs her.

Harley refuses to allow Tony to reverse the prematurely activated protocol and after a lengthy video chat with his mom it’s agreed that he’ll start training immediately to be Tony’s successor. Tony’s not afraid that Harley will have any trouble with it, he’s more afraid about what this kind of life does to people like them.

_“It’s not going to be the same Tony.” Harley tells him as he rolls a stool over to him. _

_“You’re going to be Iron Man Harl. That comes with a lot of burdens.” _

_“But none that I’m going to have to carry alone like you had to in the beginning.” Harley replies and Tony lets out a tired snort. _

_“News flash kid, don’t be fooled by the media, I was still carrying all of it alone.” _

_“I’m not talking about those assholes.” Harley says waving his hand like he’s swatting at an imaginary gnat and Tony gasps overdramatically at the language. “I’m talking about your **real** team. Our team. Your real family, not those jackasses.” _

_“Pep’s gonna make you sit through another two-hour lecture about the correlation of language choices and public image if you continue with those kinds of words.” Tony warns him and he shivers. Tony gets it, he used to shiver too when he’d had to go through them. _

_“Let her. It’s what they are.” Harley replies. “But things are changing. Real colors shown and all that. The Avengers? They’re not just a group of people in costumes going around breaking stuff. The real Avengers are the people here. The ones who stayed, despite the cost, because they trusted you and they believed in what you were saying. Rhodey, Vision…this Parker kid.” He scrunches his nose at the mention of Peter which amuses the hell out of Tony. “You’ve got other people on your side too Tony. Pepper and Happy and May and me. Maybe we haven’t been on the field next to you yet, but we’re here. And we’ve got your back. Always.” _

He learns the next week that T’Challa has pulled a lot of strings and gotten the rogues cleared of their previous ‘misdeeds’, and has gotten approval to return them to the states. The information just boggles Tony’s mind for a few seconds before he sighs and goes back to work on Rhodey’s exoskeleton legs. T’Challa reaches out to Tony the day before they’re supposed to ‘come back’ and asks if dropping them off at the Compound is something that he should do. The whole message itself says so much more than that, in a passive aggressive sort of ‘I think I’m superior to you’ kind of way, but Tony ignores it and sends back that the Avengers Compound is there to house Avengers recognized by the Council.

He doesn’t get a response after that but he figured he wasn’t expecting one. T’Challa got what he wanted from Tony, just like Rogers and the others had. They’d never stopped to say ‘thank you’ so why would Tony ever expect it from the new guy who had Rogers-tinted glasses on?

_“I don’t like that you let them come back.” Pepper admits over dinner and Tony sighs as he twirls some pasta onto his fork. _

_“If I pushed back, Ross or T’Challa could have said that I was out of line in some way or in contempt of the Accords that I helped install. There are going to be plenty of other battles to pick with them, and I didn’t see the point in picking this one.” Tony tells her and she takes a minute before nodding. _

_“I guess I get it. It’s annoying, but I get it.” _

_“Yeah, but…let’s not talk about them? They’ve gotten enough of our time already.” Tony asks and Pepper’s eyes soften as she nods. _

_“Yeah, they have. You’re right. Let’s let this be about us.” _

Tony forgets about Rogers and the others in the Compound above him after that. Too many things start to pull for his attention and he doesn’t have the time to dedicate to it. Between working with Rhodey to adjust the exoskeleton and make new adjustments to the War Machine armor, helping with Peter’s and Harley’s training, navigating diplomatic concerns for SI and new projects, plus all of the new Stark projects that Tony and Rhodey have started with the military – Tony just doesn’t have the time to really waste the effort.

Things get even more chaotic at the request of an old school buddy, Reed Richards and his plan to get Tony to build him a Space Station. At first, Tony’s not really sure if that’s something he can devote time or resources to, but as always Reed makes a compelling case and Tony eventually relents. They’d already done all of the prep work a few years back about building such a thing, before the attack on New York. The test of the ARC reactor power source had been a requirement for such a thing. Rhodey gives Grimm a look so reminiscent of their time wrangling the two geniuses in college, that speaks volumes between them when Reed and Tony meet up for lunch to discuss the building plans for the lab sections.

Getting the labs finally back up and running again at Stark Towers is a huge step forward. Tony’s been in and out of the labs at the Compound, flying in quickly just to grab a few things and then flying out. He doesn’t really have a lot of time to meander there these days. He doesn’t bother doing a full gut job, figuring that having a backup lab ready to go at a second location is a good thing, even if he does fly out everything of importance.

He thinks DUM-E has a blast flying as Tony transfers him in the suit and all Tony can think is: like father, like son.

Tony hears through the grapevine – mainly Rhodey and Harley ranting – that Vision has returned to the Compound and has picked back up his old relationship with Wanda. So much for that, he can’t help but think as he shakes his head. He wishes that he could help Vision, after all he knows a thing or two about falling for the crazy ones that are bad for you in the long run – but Vision wants to be his own person and unfortunately that comes with accepting the consequences of your choices and your companions. Tony’s had to do it hundreds of times, and he’s just had to do it with the Avengers. He hopes that Wanda changes, grows up and becomes a better person, someone who is actually good for Vision and the world. He’s not holding out a lot of hope for it, but it could happen. He truly hopes that’s the way that story ends as he washes his hands of Vision once more. It’s less painful this time to do it, then last time when he still had a hard time not thinking JARVIS each time he heard Vision speak and then having JARVIS/Vision abandon him for a woman that he had no history with over Tony and for reasons that were made-up and false. Vision knew that Tony hadn’t created Ultron, and he knew that Tony wasn’t the one who bombed Wanda’s house and yet…he’d never spoken out against the rhetoric in order to fit in. This time, Tony’s almost expecting it and he’s a little disappointed that he’s not surprised in the slightest.

FRIDAY informs him of Harley’s meeting with the Accord’s Council in his name the day of the attack in Central Park. At first, Tony’s confused about why Harley would even need to do such a thing before FRIDAY fills him in that Rogers has been trying to force a meeting between the two of them and has been since he returned and that this call was another attempt to force an interaction. Tony sighs and thinks about Pepper mentioning Rogers meeting with her a little while ago and then he spends half of the time watching the recording of Harley’s meeting and laughing before calling Harley up and praising him for his handling of the situation. Harley preens at the praise; he also jumps at the opportunity to put in more training in the actual training grounds with Tony later and Tony’s not surprised at how well Harley adjusts to and learns in the suit. He’ll be hell on wheels very soon. Tony couldn’t be prouder.

_“Wanna go get some pizza?” Tony asks once they’ve finished up and FRIDAY informs them that there’s someone waiting to use the training grounds. “We should probably get out of their way.” _

_“Pizza sounds great…race you there?” Harley challenges and Tony laughs as the two of them suit up and take off. The pizza joint gets a huge bump on social media when images of two Iron Suits are taken standing outside of the building and with Harley and Tony caught on film eating a slice there. _

“So, you ready to go up into space?” Tony asks Reed and the other scientist looks like he’s about to go meet Santa or something. “Remember not to break my toys Reed.” Tony warns him as he hands over a key card and Reed laughs at it before joining the rest of the team heading up to the newly launched station. There’s plenty of media coverage fussing about the scene and Tony’s a little surprised to see T’Challa there.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting you to be here.” Tony says and T’Challa shakes his hand but there’s a kind of challenging look in his eyes. “Do you have a fascination with space?”

“I’m more concerned about the problems that we have here on our planet as opposed to ones we may make outside of it.”

“Good stance to have.” Tony says, letting the obvious dig roll off of him. “What brings you by then? Since you’re not here for science or space exploration?”

“I’ve been informed that you’ve recently created a new alloy that mimics vibranium.”

“Yeah.” Tony nods. “Finally had the chance to do that, and the space station needed better shields then it would have gotten with just plain old adamantium.” Tony replies before he shakes his head. “But starkanium isn’t a replica of vibranium. It’s close I guess, if you look at the benefits of the alloy but it comes with its own additional benefits. Plus, it’s able to be manufactured in a lab, which negates the worry of running out of raw material. Manufacturing it isn’t a walk in the park but it’s still cheaper than acquiring the raw ore from various sources.” Tony gives him a look. “I would have thought you’d be pleased to hear that such a thing has been made, since Wakanda gets a lot of outside attacks from people trying to steal the raw material.”

“Yes, we’ve had to defend ourselves from people like your father many times.”

“Yeah, dear old dad was good at stealing everyone else’s toys. What else is new?” Tony says with a huffed laugh as he puts on his sunglasses. “Well, I’ve gotta go smile for the cameras and head up to the mission control but you enjoy the afterparty.”

“I’m actually here on Avengers business.”

“I wasn’t aware you were an Avenger.”

“I’m extended.” T’Challa says with a secretive sort of smirk. “And being as I’m the only member on the Council as well, I was asked to come talk with you.”

“Well, you’ll have to schedule an appointment like everyone else. At a launch party – literally a _launch_ party, is not the best time or place. I don’t really have the time or focus to devote to whatever it is you wanted to discuss.”

“You’ve been woefully inactive in the Avengers Initiative. Not coming to meetings or team events.”

“There are meetings?” Tony asks surprised for a second. “Nice. About time we got those. Must not be mandatory though because this is the first I’ve heard of them.”

“You’ve not been informed by your protégé or your machine?”

“FRIDAY is an AI, which makes her her own person.” Tony says firmly. “And Harley speaks for me and my team. Why do you need me there?”

“Captain Rogers hopes to-”

“Gonna stop you there. If you want to continue discussing this, make a meeting. I don’t promise that the Accords doesn’t deal with Harley but a representative of the Iron group will be there as required by the amendments. As I said before though, I have to go.” Tony turns and walks away from T’Challa, leaving the surprised king standing there as he walks back to Pepper and resumes his responsibilities to SI for the night.

FRIDAY tells him that a meeting request from the Council comes onto the schedule and he smiles a little when Rhodey already signs his name to it saying that he’ll handle it and Tony sets his own meetings with the military for that day as well. The soldiers from the various sections of the military are highly impressive when he goes and they’re more than willing to go above and beyond in order to do their part to help create Tony’s vision of a home force that consists of more than just Avengers members. If an attack on their soil happens again then they can’t take the risk of just having five or six people fighting the good fight while assholes from the shadows fire nukes at them.

The information of the incident on the space station has Tony getting into the suit and flying up there. An unexpected solar flare hit the station and while the shields and things held up, there were several individuals caught outside of its protection due to setting up an experiment. It takes Tony several days of nonstop work to help stabilize their DNA and prevent them from dying on the medical tables. What happens after that certainly wasn’t what he expected and he just blinks as Johnny catches on fire and Suzie disappears and Reed flops around like a fish as Grimm transforms into a giant boulder. He just holds out a copy of the Accords for them to take when they’re done freaking out.

_“The ‘Fantastic Four’?” Everett asks sounding amused by the name and Tony laughs. _

_“Hey, not every press named superhero can be as lucky as ‘Iron Man’. Sometimes crappy names are gonna stick. But they’re ready and willing.” _

_“Will they be staying with the other Avengers?” _

_“No, they actually don’t want to be looped in with the Avengers at all, hence the separate group name.” Tony points out to Everett’s frown. “They’ll be staying at the Baxter Building.” He takes a moment. “Thinking of ‘separate groups’, I’ve got another to throw your way.” He glances back at the screen. “Have you heard of the ‘Defenders’ Councilmember?” _

It’s strange, to see the news not focusing on the acts of the Avengers anymore, instead getting random stories from several different groups all over the world. It’s like the sudden success and favor that the Fantastic Four and the Defenders have gotten has made it to where various other powered individuals aren’t scared of stepping out into the light. Gone are the days of shady as fuck organizations like SHIELD/Hydra calling the shots and a man whose only benefit on his resume was muscles and throwing a frisbee bringing mass death and destruction everywhere he went. Gone are the days when terrorists and murderers and spies and billionaires were the only options to come to their aid.

Tony finds that he rather likes it. It bodes good things for the future.

He guesses that he’s not at all surprised when he runs into Rogers months later – and he can’t even remember when the last time he’s really thought about the blond or seen him was – when he’s giving Dr. Strange a tour of the Avengers Compound.

“Tony.” Steve says, coming up to them and interrupting Tony mid-sentence as he’s describing what security features are present and Tony takes a deep breath before he continues with what he was saying and its only after he’s finished that he looks at Rogers. He hasn’t changed, still wearing the same clothes and still parting his hair the same way. Still stuck in the past. Maybe that’s why they were never meant to get along, Steve was the past personified and Tony was the future. Those things rarely worked well together with one tending to become obsolete no matter how hard it held on.

“I’m currently in the middle of something Rogers.” Tony says.

“I just want to talk; I haven’t seen you in-”

“Unfortunately, I’m in the middle of something. Schedule an appointment if you wish to speak with me. Now, sorry for that interruption, shall we press on?” Tony asks, motioning for Strange to follow him and he pretends not to notice how Rogers trails after them like a lost puppy, keeping back just enough to not be in their way and yet never far enough that Tony might slip from his sight in any way. Strange makes random sounds of pretending to be impressed, which Tony eventually calls him out on and the rest of the meeting goes better from there. It’ll be interesting having a whole group of _magicians_ aiding them, but it’s something that is sorely needed.

“Tony, a moment, please.” Steve tries again after Strange agrees to look over the Accords and to start the negotiation process and portals himself out of there with a smirk and a wave. Tony can respect the pageantry of it all, even if he still dislikes portals.

“I’m on my way out. I’m very busy.” Tony says, pulling out his phone as he walks to the front doors.

“Please.”

“Set an appointment.”

“FRIDAY won’t let me.”

“FRI?”

** _‘Mr. Rogers has an appointment on the books. He’s just displeased with the timeline of it.’_ **

“Well there you have it, you already have an appointment.”

“In two years, Tony.”

“It’s not uncommon for that to happen. My schedule’s booked, as you can see. I’m scheduling people two years out. Why do you think I should push back others to make room for you?” He makes it to the door and starts towards the car.

“Tony I just want to apologize.”

“Don’t bother.” Tony cuts him off as he grabs the door and opens it. It’s the only moment that he looks at Rogers. “We both know you’d be lying, and hasn’t there been enough of that between us for one lifetime?” Rogers cringes and Tony slides behind the wheel and takes off, leaving him there.

He’d like to say that he feels relief at how well he handled that, but he actually forgets Rogers almost immediately and he figures that’s better than any relief. He doesn’t see the rest of them until the first Avengers meeting he actually goes to, his presence is required in this one for personal reasons and he sits in silence as everyone throws up problems left and right.

“Why wasn’t Wanda tapped for the field? She’s gotten to go out less and less.” Clint asks and Ross takes a moment.

“Invisible Woman’s shielding is much more…reliable than the Scarlet Witch’s abilities, not to mention Dr. Strange’s abilities and those of his students are a significant boon on the field as well. With each passing day there are more and more members to this Initiative and with that comes the understanding that various members will be called upon less and less. That’s a good thing.”

“It’s not just the Scarlet Witch who has been sidelined though.” Natasha interjects. “All of us have seen less and less calls to action than all these new faces.”

“That’s…” Ross looks away. “There are reasons for that. It’s better to give the media more faces to look at than just a particular set.”

“You’re replacing us.” Clint snaps and Ross shakes his head.

“No, you’re all part of the Initiative. Them just as much as you, which means they need their time to learn and grow. You’ve had that for years; they’re just getting theirs.” Ross tries to say and Tony tunes out the arguments that occur from there. He only glances up when Ross calls his name.

“Yes?”

“You said you had a concern to bring to our attention?”

“Not a concern, no.” Tony says before reaching into his bag and pulling out the file. “As you know, with the inclusion of Williams into the Iron Family, we’ve become a rather large group.” Ross looks at the papers.

“You want to separate from the Avengers?” He says surprised and Tony ignores the arguments that start getting thrown at him from his old teammates.

“Let’s be honest, there’s been very little need to interact with the Avengers for a while now. An Iron Man suit is marked in the Accords as a next level response to an event. It makes sense then that a group should be created of us all in order to better schedule and keep track of things like that.”

“There’s no need for you to leave Tony.” Rogers implores him, reaching out across the table to touch his hand and Tony pulls his away before he can.

“I’m not _leaving_, Mr. Rogers. I’m shifting to a new team. I’ll still be part of the Imitative.” He looks at Ross. “Protocol required for me to inform the Council of this intention in a meeting, so there it is. Rhodes, Potts, Keener and Williams have all agreed to the separation. Now it only required us telling you of the new team workup.”

“I’ll get this in the system.” Ross says with a heavy sigh and Tony can’t help the smile he gets when he leaves the meeting after Rogers and the others finally learned that whatever power they once enjoyed as the majority was now gone. Blown away like a candle’s flame and Tony puts on his sunglasses before getting in his car and taking off.

It’s a brave new world these days.

**Author's Note:**

> Please no comments of a critiquing or negative nature. Thank you for your understanding.


End file.
